Torn

Share.

Black Isle welcomes you to your new continent. Just look out for that Ogre behind you.

By IGN Staff

April 12, 2001

It's rare to see a new game announced at the Game Developer's Conference, but it's a move for the hardcore, and a nod to the people that have made the industry what it is today. Black Isle has been a big part of the hardcore PC audience, putting out titles like Fallout, Planescape: Torment and Icewind Dale, all titles that while moving the RPG genre in new directions, still respected (or came from) its D&D roots. It's no surprise that the company decided to use the developer's conference as a forum to announce its new title, and introduce gamers and fellow developers to the company's newest project: an original fantasy universe. After success with other alternate realities, both in fantasy and in apocalyptic science fiction, Black Isle has decided that it was time to work from the ground up, creating a new fantasy universe while still moving forward with the adventure schemes honed in the company's recent titles. While Fallout garnered a lot of fans, it seems that Torn is already on its way to becoming Interplay's new franchise, complete with the "Black Isle Studios" label on the title itself. It's more than branding, however. For Black Isle, it's about creating something that will hopefully get as much name recognition and respect as Forgotten Realms does for D&D. Torn takes you on a 3D adventure in the fantasy continent of Agathe... but look under its polygonal shell and you'll see the deep roots of Torment and Fallout there to keep RPG fans excited.

Torn takes place on the border kingdom of Orislane, where you play as a wealthy, popular... of course not. What fantasy game would be fun without some mystery and misery? You play as a wanderer who's been doomed to bring misfortune and pain on anyone that you travel with. You've spent years wandering westward through Agathe, reaching the mountains of Stormcrown, where you board a ship bound for Orislane, and instead head off into the unknown world of danger, mystery, and mythic battles. You'll journey through the continent of Agathe looking for a way to release yourself from this morbid curse, exploring the shorelines of Orislane, over the mountains of Stormcrown, and finally onto the edge of war farther over the Orislanian coast. You'll explore a city that devours its own inhabitants when night falls, you'll fight off an invasion of beats, and ultimately you'll take part in a battle between an aging king and an age-old nemesis. What are the connections between these events? Why were you cursed, and how will you free yourself from the shackles of fate? It's all part of the giant story being crafted by the Black Isle team.

Like other Black Isle favorites, Torn promises to deliver a criss-crossing, confusing and fun story and some great sidekicks, while still giving you a ton of options for creating your own class of character. Just as in Fallout, you'll be using a variant of the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. system, a skill-based system that allows you to create a character that fits the way you play. You won't be stuck in a certain role; instead, you'll be the one to decide what skills your character becomes adept at, and how that affects how they are seen and see the outside world. It's truly free form and hilarious when it's in action: "a maniacal dwarf alchemist obsessed with building the most destructive golem ever imagined, an axe-wielding female ogre determined to make the world a safer place for her children, a treacherous sidhe rogue determined to become the wealthiest mortal in Orislane," just to name a few scenarios mentioned by the development team. Torn marries the white page of character development with sidekicks and party members that are anything but simple fighting partners. New characters introduced in the game all have their own personalities, skillsets, and backstories, all of which you'll explore as you progress through the game.

In terms of combat, Torn is a realtime slant on classic turn-based RPG battles, but with the option to pause the battle at any time by pressing the space bar. Special attacks, defenses, and abilities allow you to add an extra punch (sometimes literally) to your attack as well. An Ogre can let out a battle cry to regain hit points while attacking an opponent, while a character with a lot of charisma can increase his companions fighting ability for a limited time. That doesn't even include the perks to a character that can give him special pluses or minuses for specific situation, or when using special weapons. Since this is a fantasy game and not a shooter, you'll be using as much magic as you do weaponry in Torn, taking your power from four different realms: Order, Chaos, Alchemy and Summoning. Not only will you be able to use specific spells from the four realms, but you'll also be able to combine realms in order to create specialized spells, such as mixing Summoning and Order realms in order to summon special Order daemons. At this point, the team is planning on having about 25 spells in each of the four realms.

With all this talk about Torn's new take on the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. system, I almost forgot to mention one of the biggest chances to the Black Isle formula, the engine. Torn uses the new LithTech 3.0 development system, offering up all your 3D bullet-point favorites such as 24-bit Lightmapping, projected shadows, and improved bmp mapping. The new 3.0 physics engine will ensure even more lifelike motions and momentum from your battles, while giving you an improved level of detail to the environments and characters. For those of you concerned about Torn turning into some sort of a fantasy Tomb Raider, rest assured that the camera will still be in a generally ¿ perspective, similar to 2D RPGs that you're used to.

Multiplayer is a big part of Torn as well, and you'll be able to experience the adventure with your friends and their own characters. You'll play as your own lead character in a multiplayer game, while your pals can introduce their own characters into the party, complete with their own inventory and customized skills. You can then fill out the six person party with computer-controlled characters.

Black Isle is serious about its new world of Torn, and you can look forward to new information on the Torn website on a regular basis, everything from mythic stories to tidbits on the local flora and fauna of the Torn countryside. It's their job to get you hooked and salivating for a new place to explore, and since Torn is in the hands of some established RPG veterans, you can freely drool without having to look over your shoulder in embarrassment... any more than usual. Look for more information on Black Isle's newest entry into your fantasy-filled heart soon.